Circus on the Water
by Winter's Fiction
Summary: When Miku Hatsune acquires a ticket to the traveling Circus on the Water for her twenty-first birthday, she not only sees the show, but she sees the famous Kagamine Twins. Curious, she discovers a dark secret behind the twins, as well as the circus...
1. Some Years After

It was a cold and rainy day today, so I had to slip on a raincoat over my soft-green dress and a black cap to shield my hair from the rain. Today wasn't a really good day for an interview at a café so I had called the reporter and told him to call it off until the weather cleared up. He insisted, however, since the story was a pressing matter and he had to get it in to the editor before his given due date. It was decided that today at noon, I was to visit him in his home.

Just walking outside into the cold made my skin crawl with goose bumps. Outside on the road was the cab driver, waiting for me to get inside the black automobile. I held onto my hat and briskly walked over to his side, where he opened the door for me to get inside.

"Where to, Miss Hatsune?" the driver said as he crawled into the car and placed his hands firmly on the wheel. I sifted through my leather purse, looking for the address the reporter had given me a couple of days earlier. There, in the very deep depths of it, was the address, folded neatly into a little square. Unfolding I noticed the reporters rushed writing. It seemed as though he always had some new story to write about and he was so rushed and never had time.

"Ah, here," I said, handing the tiny piece of paper to the driver. He gave a quick nod and I heard the engine of the car roar to life. He turned on the windshield wipers, which began to more so smear the water droplets on the windshield rather than wipe them off.

Turning my head, I watched as we zoomed past the buildings and homes of the town, and almost became hypnotized, as they seemed to mix into one big colourful mess. I also noticed the rain droplets seemed to bend the images that were passing by. I twiddled with my thumbs as we neared our destination.

I knew we had arrived when the car had suddenly stopped at a small home that neared the water. The reporter was very fortunate to live in this area of town. It was very quiet and tranquil, and he had a wonderful view of the water, which seemed to have silver streaks dance all over its surface.

"Thank you, sir" I said quietly, handing some money over to the driver. He nodded in satisfaction and then opened the door to let me out onto the reporter's dark green lawn. I grabbed my dress and walked as fast as I could to the dark, wooden door. I waved to the driver and watched as the black car drove it's way through the cold rain.

I looked back at the door, and pressed the doorbell and waited for half a minute until a man with blackish-blue hair that reached to his jaw-line appeared at the door. He was wearing a dark black dress paints and baby-blue dress shirt, with dark coloured tie wrapped loosely around his neck.

It seemed as though he wasn't really expecting anyone, for he looked like he had just woken up.

"Ah, Miss Hatsune," he said with a smile.

"Am I too early?" I said with a hint of embarrassment.

"No, no," he had replied, "You're just in time. Let me just set up. You can wait in the living room if you'd like" He gestured for me to come inside and out from the rain. "It's quite a storm out there isn't it?"

"I've seen worse," I said, twirling some of my long teal hair in between my fingers, "There once was a storm that blew down a tree!"

"I see" he responded,

I watched as the reporter climbed up the hardwood stairs to get himself ready. I couldn't help but catch a glimpse of his study, which contained a wooden desk, which was polished to make it glisten in the light coming from the window just beside the desk. Behind the desk was a massive black leather chair, with a cabinet containing a whole library of books. Scatters across the walls were various paintings of sorts of different mediums. In front of the desk were two leather chairs, that showed the age and overuse. The leather on them seemed to be cracking and the arm rests felt rough.

"I noticed that you like this room," the reporter was behind me and his voice made me nearly jump.

"Why, yes." I stuttered, "It's lovely."

The reporter made his way around me and sat at his desk. I could see that he had a black leather briefcase. Inside it was his typewriter, which he pulled out and placed on his desk. His hand gestured for me to sit down at one of the chairs in front.

"So, Miss Hatsune," he started, "Now that we've finally settled down on this interview, I understand you are probably the only witness to the sudden disappearance of the Kagamine twins; two circus performers of the Circus on the Water. Am I correct?"

I nodded.

"Before we begin, do you know their current location, or anyone whom they may be staying with?"

I paused and the reporter gave me an odd look with his eyes.

"I do know whom they are staying with, but the twins have told me themselves that they would never stay in one place, because they know that the circus is looking for them. Anyone, besides myself, with any type of knowledge of their current location would endanger the twins, as well as themselves."

"I see," the reporter sighed, "Now Miss Hatsune, would you mind introducing yourself to anyone whom may be reading this?" I could now hear the reporter beginning to type.

"My name is Miku Hatsune. I had recently moved from the city of Aurore, where the Circus on the Water had traveled. It was also where my family lived. Some of the people of our city considered us to be nobles or aristocrats, because we had so much money, and everyone knew our family. I had moved here after the incident with the Kagamine twins, just to get it off my mind. However, if the story must be told, then it will be."

There were numerous clacks coming from the type writer, and dings as the reporter had reached the end of the page, and had to go back to the other side. I watched as his thin fingers worked quickly and his eyes constantly switching back between the page and his hands.

"Now, Miss Hatsune, will you tell us the tale of the Kagamine Twins?" the reporter asked. His eyes seemed to turn to a dark shade of blue.

"Of course," I responded, trying to recall the memories of all those months ago.

This is where I began retelling the tale shrouded in mystery, the tale of two twins, who didn't know a thing about their past, and how they managed to escape the magical, yet almost evil Circus on the Water.


	2. Birthday

"Miku, as a gift for your twenty-first birthday, I bought you a ticket to that circus that's come to town, you've been dying to see it, no?" a lady walked into Miku's room. It was her mother. She looked as if she was Miku's twin sister, however, she had an aging face. Even so, her family and friends still considered her to be beautiful.

Miku looked at her mother, and a wide grin stretched across her face. Her eyes sparkled as she walked to her mother.

"Thank you, mother!" Miku said; her voice was as light as air. She grasped the little ticket in her hand, and read the tiny writing. In beautiful, golden, loop-looking letters was "Circus on the Water". Miku noticed that the circus was later tonight, and with that, her excitement welled up deep inside of her.

"I should get ready!" Miku exclaimed. Her mother giggled at her response. "How come you're not going with me, mother?"

"Ah, you're old enough to go alone, and besides, I have dinner party to set up with your father. Wouldn't you'd rather go to a circus than a party?" she smiled. Miku laughed in response.

"Like you said, you should get ready, my dear." Miku's mother said, "I'm going to get ready for the party," With that, she left the room and Miku, who was still had her hands wrapped tightly around the ticket.

She quickly rummaged around her closet looking for a pretty dress to wear for the circus. She knew only the esteemed people would go and see this circus; after all it was no ordinary circus. It was a traveling circus that was built upon a boat, and had only the most talented circus performers.

Miku had pulled on one of her most expensive and magnificent dresses, and then went to put on her makeup and comb her long teal hair. It was nearly sunset when she considered herself presentable and fit to go to the circus. Miku grabbed her purse and walked out of her room and down the hardwood stairs to the living room, where her mother was talking to some guests from another powerful family. She waved goodbye to her mother, and her mother waved back.

The docks where the Circus on the Water had set anchor were only walking distance away, and it had only taken Miku a couple of minutes before she had reached them. When she saw the lineup of people at the entrance, she was awestruck at how long the line was. With a sigh, she walked to the end of the line and waited for her turn to be let into the boat.

As she waited, she looked at the boat itself. Over the top of the boat, a gold and crimson tent engulfed the masts and sails, as well as the entire deck itself. There were golden ropes, that held the tent together, and underneath on the hull of the boat, there were numerous, vine-like designs that crawled around the hull of the boat. The entrance to the circus tent was a long wooden plank, covered with a dark red carpet.

Miku could almost smell the magic, as if it took the form of a scent that wafted from the deep innards of the boat. It was almost her turn to hand her ticket and be allowed entrance into the magical world of this famous circus.

"Next!" the man who was letting people inside called out. It was now Miku's turn. With her heart pounding, she gave the ticket in. She could barely hear the man say, "enjoy the show" as she walked up the red carpet into the circus tent.

As Miku walked inside, her jaw nearly fell open as she saw the ring where the circus performers would perform. The two masts that usually held the sails now held up the tent as well as the lighting. There were a few hundred seats encircling the ring, where Miku saw other awe-struck spectators take their seats. She could see their heads turn around and look up and down as they waited for the circus to start.

Within around twenty minutes or so, everyone took their seats. The lights dimmed down, and the ringleader appeared. Some spotlights shone on him, making is oddly coloured clothing seem to glow. He had violet eyes, and a long violet hair, which was covered by a shiny black hat. His hair was also tied up in a long ponytail that reached up to his waist. The way he looked, as well as the way he seemed to carry himself around, made him look almost feminine.

"Ladies and gentleman!" the ringleader called out in a booming voice, "Boys and girls. Welcome to the circus, where all things magical finally creep out to perform for us, where imagination takes on a living form and where all your fantasies come to life. Welcome to the Circus on the Water!"

The crowd, as well as Miku, cried out in excitement. They all applauded, causing the tent to erupt with noises of cheers.

"Are you all ready to see what awaits you in the Circus on the Water?"

The crowd responded again with cheers, and then suddenly gasped when the lights turned off. Spotlights caught some trapeze artists on the masts performing tricks. Miku could hardly keep her excitement contained as she watched them fly through the air like birds. She continued watching the rest of show, and it seemed to her that every act that came on seemed to be better than the one before it.

Suddenly, Miku heard quiet, mysterious-sounding music coming from somewhere. She knew that nearly every act had music, but this tune provoked a feeling of suspense in her. One of her hands grasped onto her dress tightly as she saw the spotlights make circles and loops around the ring until they stopped at a pair of two young people wearing masks. They seemed to dance around each other elegantly until the music came to a slow stop.

"I am Kagamine," they both said. It was obvious there was a girl and a boy, since one wore a skirt, while the other wore a pair of shorts that were tucked into a pair of dark gold boots. Both of the young people were blonde. The boy had his blonde bangs swept over his black and white mask, while the girl had short blonde hair, and off to the side was a tiny golden bow. She too had a black and white mask. The boy turned to the girl and grasped her hand tightly. With his free hand, he adjusted the ribbon that tied up his short ponytail.

"I am right," the girl said in a monotone voice.

"I am left," the boy said in nearly the same tone.

This pair intrigued Miku. They were able to read each other's minds, and during the act they danced, and performed various tricks with the crowd. They would also occasionally switch masks; only briefly revealing their young faces to anyone who had the chance to see them up close. Miku was lucky enough to get a seat close to the ring, so occasionally see would see a flash of their faces.

Oddly enough, their faces seem familiar; almost as if Miku had seen the twins years ago.

Soon their act was over and other acts came on to perform their stunts and tricks of the imagination. Miku was watching the performers, but deep in her mind, all she could think about were the twins; or as the ringleader called them: the Kagamine twins.


	3. The Twins

After an hour or so, the circus was finally done, and the ringleader came to announce in his loud voice how happy he was that everyone came, and that they'll come back to this town soon to perform once again. That was the cue for all of the audience to start seeping out of the tent and back into their normal and less magical world.

Unlike everyone else, Miku quietly made her way closer to the ring, where she whistled for the ringleader to come closer. She felt the need to ask him some questions about the twins; she also wanted to see the twins unmasked and in person.

The ringleader heard her whistle and slowly made his way to the edge of the ring. Miku's knuckled turned white as she held onto the barrier tighter and tighter.

"Yes? What is it, dear?" the ringleader asked. His voice was almost feminine as well.

"The Kagamine twins," Miku began, "Where did you find them?"

"Find them, dear? But, they are like any of the other performers. They were looking for a place to stay and for a place to work," the ringleader smiled, almost mischievously, "Their talents dazzled me when they performed it right in front of me. Of course, they needed some refinement and practice, but I knew they would make a lovely addition to my circus."

"But why would such young people need work? They're children!" Miku protested, "Children like them should be out playing, not working in a circus!"

The ringleader laughed, "Darling, work for one person may not be work for another. When the twins did their act for the first time in front of an audience, they had told me it was a lot of fun for them. They see their act as game for themselves, as well as the crowd,"

"Can't I at least see the twins?" Miku asked quietly, "I would like to talk to them in person."

"No, you cannot."

"Why not?" Miku was surprised at the ringleader's quick and dark answer. It was so unlike him.

"I do not allow anyone to see any of my performers in person mainly for the fact that they could get kidnapped or hurt. Not only would I never see that performer again, it would hurt my circus' reputation."

Miku frowned, "Please, I'm only a twenty-one-year-old girl. What could I possibly do? I have no weapons, and I'm too weak to kidnap anyone or hurt anyone." She gave the ringleader an innocent look. Her eyes sparkled like a child's, and she held her purse close to her body.

The ringleader thought about it, until he finally said, "Oh, alright. It doesn't seem like you'd do any harm anyway."

With that, he led her deep into the bowels of the boat, where there were numerous cabins for the performers, as well as the crew who maintained the boat. The halls that led to the rooms were quite warm, and the wooden walls gave off a soft feeling of comfort. Finally the ringleader and Miku arrived at the Kagamine twins' door. On it had their true names: Rin and Len Kagamine.

The ringleader opened to door and gestured for Miku to go inside. The twins looked at her with their icy blue eyes, and almost made her shudder.

"Rin, Len, a nice lady is here to see you!" the ringleader said in a cheery voice, "She really liked your act, and she would also like to ask you some questions if that's alright with the both of you, of course."

The twins both gave small grins, "Sure why not?" the male one (presumably Len) replied.

"All right, I'll leave you three here, I have to tend to other important matters," the ringleader mumbled and shut the door, leaving Miku with the twins Rin and Len.

"A-ah, my name is Miku Hatsune, " Miku stuttered,

"I'm Rin" the girl started, "And that's Len," she said pointing to the boy, "So, what would you like to ask us? Anything about our act? Or something else?"

Rin's voice was very cheerful, and she also seemed to be a bit of a chatterbox. However, Len was the opposite. Although he sounded just a cheerful as Rin, he was a bit quieter and a little more reserved than his twin sister.

"Oh, well," Miku stammered, "Do you know where you two had come from before the circus? Do you know anything about your family or where you came from?"

The twins looked at each other, and began discussing where they came from. Every time one twin would suggest a town the came from, the other would shoot it down. They were utterly confused at to where they came from, or whom they stayed with before they found their way to the circus. Miku wondered if their memories had somehow been erased, but of course she knew it was a completely ridiculous idea.

"We…" Len began with a frown. His eyes went from Rin's to Miku's.

"Don't know." Rin finished her twin's brother sentence, "It's odd that we don't know, maybe we were adopted or something?" Len mumbled something incoherent in response.

"Well, I was asking you because I remember seeing you from somewhere before, I just can't remember where, or even when for that matter," Miku stated. Len and Rin gave her an odd stare.

"We don't remember seeing you though," Len mumbled, "How could you know us if we don't know you?" Rin nodded as if to say, "yes, what he said."

"Well, you see my family is quite rich, and almost every other powerful family knows of us, since we all seemed to be linked together, usually in matters of wealth. Maybe you originally belonged to one of these families, since the family drags me along to meet the other family. Maybe I had met you?"

"That's ridiculous," Rin said a little too loudly, "I highly doubt we were from a rich family like you say we are,"

"You never know, Rin," Len said calmly, "It could be a possibility,"

There was a moment of awkward silence before the three heard the ringleader knock at the door.

"Rin, Len? It's best that you let the nice lady be on her way, she probably has to go home soon," they heard the ringleader say. Rin and Len frowned,

"Just a few more minutes, Gakupo?" Rin pleaded.

"Fine, just five minutes, then you must let the lady on her way!" The three could heard Gakupo's voice trail off and the sounds of his boots making their way across the floor until it became silent again.

"How about I come tomorrow and see if I can find any pictures of you two or any documents that mention your names? I'll even ask my mother if she knows about you two!" Miku said almost excitedly, but then it suddenly hit her. There was no way she was going to get another ticket. There was also no way she could possible sneak into the boat without the crew or performers not noticing her presence.

"Alright, when do you want us to sneak out and meet you?" Rin said suddenly with a smile. Miku stared at her blankly for a moment.

"Sneak out? I don't want you two to get into trouble!"

"It's okay, we do it almost all the time without getting caught!" Rin giggled. Len laughed a little bit as well. Miku still felt a little guilty for letting them sneak out in order to meet her and prove whether or not they were really members of a rich family. However, it was the only way. Miku gave in and discussed with Rin and Len how they were going to meet up. It was decided they were going to meet at noon, just before The Circus on the Water left for it's next destination. Since everyone would focus putting away the tent among other important props, they would be too distracted to notice any of the performers leaving the boat.

The ringleader, Gakupo, returned to the room and escorted Miku out of the boat after she had waved farewell to the twins. They smiled at her with their childish grins and she smiled back. Before she knew it she was walking down the plank with the crimson carpet and back home, where her mother had probably just finished her dinner party with her distinguished guests from the family that was visiting earlier on.

She opened the door to her large mansion, and called out, "Mother! Father! I'm home!" Within half a minute later, her mother walked in, almost gliding in to the front entrance to greet her daughter.

"Miku how was the circus, my dear?" Miku's mother asked in a light, feathery voice.

"It was amazing!" Miku said with a grin, "there were all sorts of magicians, and trapeze artists and stunt artists and lion tamers!" Miku was acting as if she was a young child. This made her mother laugh.

"Well, I'm glad you liked the circus," Miku's mother smiled.

"Mother?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Do you know anyone with the last name Kagamine?" Miku asked, tilting her head to the side somewhat. Her mother's face fell, which intrigued Miku about the twins' past even more so.

"Come," Miku's mother gestured for her daughter to follow her into her father's study. He mother opened up one of the drawers of the hardwood desk and dug through it to find an old newspaper article about the Kagamine family, and how one night, their two year old daughter and son were whisked away by some unknown perpetrator. In the article, it stated that the young girl and boy were presumed dead; since it was published three months after the twins had been kidnapped.


	4. Truth

"Their family suffered quite a bit." Miku's mother said sadly, "After the twins were taken away their mother had divorced their father, and their family fell apart. Their mother moved away to the faraway town of Saggezza. However, I do not know where their father went. Some people say he moved away as well, while some others say he fell off a boat and drowned."

Miku stared at the article and her heart dropped. The twins had been kidnapped, and they didn't even know it. The Circus on the Water had stole them away from their family in order to make them part of their show. The show that she thought was so amazing and so magical, was possibly stealing its performers from their real homes and real lives.

"Something wrong, dear?" Miku's mother asked with a concerned look on her face. Miku shook her head.

"No, I'm fine," she stuttered, "It's just, a really awful sounding story is all." Miku frowned in sadness to further convey her emotions to her mother. In response, her mother gave her a pat on the back and in a soft voice she promised that nothing like this would ever happen to her.

Miku went to bed that night wondering if she should tell the Kagamine twins about the truth she had uncovered. She also wondered whether it would hurt them or not. Although she had these thought gnawing at her brain, she eventually fell asleep and dreamed of boats.

The next morning came, and the thoughts of telling the twins of their true past still plagued Miku's mind. Her mother could even tell that this thought was troubling her, even though she never revealed this secret to her. Instead she just told her that she wasn't feeling to well, and she'd prefer to go outside and get some air. Of course, what she meant by that was to meet the twins in a nearby café.

Miku slipped on a plain white dress that wasn't as exquisite or pretty as the one she had worn the night before. She quickly went outside and looked up at the grey sky. There was a soft breeze in the air and it had a thick smell of salt. She had remembered to grab the article her mother had shown her, as well as a photo of the young twins and their mother. Although she couldn't distinguish any of the colours in the photograph, she noticed that their mother had long light-coloured hair and bright eyes. She had one arm wrapped around a young Len and the other arm wrapped around the young Rin. All three of them had small grins.

Miku had stuffed the article and the photos in her purse. As she walked towards the café and she adjusted one of her long pigtails. She could see all of the names of stores and café's coming up, meaning she was very close. As others were laughing and held bags with all sorts of different parcels, Miku was walking in a melancholy fashion; her head was drooped slightly and she was dragging her feet along the sidewalk.

She had finally arrived at the café and waited until she saw Rin and Len running down the street, waving their hands in greeting. Miku had a fake smile and waved back to them. She noticed they weren't wearing their circus outfits. Instead Rin wore a little yellow dress while Len had a pair of yellow shorts and a white shirt.

"So did you find anything out?" Rin said, swaying her body forwards and back with her feet. Len stood beside her calmly with one of his hands in his pockets.

"Come inside," Miku mumbled, "I'll tell all about it,"

"Something wrong?" Rin asked. Her face was filled with concern.

"No, I'm fine," Miku replied. She then gestured for the twins to follow her inside of the café to get seated. They sat near the window at a hardwood table. Within a few moments a waitress had come to ask them for their order. Miku ordered some tea, while Len and Rin stated they didn't want anything.

Rin asked again if Miku knew anything. In response Miku gulped, and pulled out the article as well as the photos from her purse. The twins were wide eyed and there was a moment of silence as they exchanged glances. They couldn't seem to wrap their minds around the past they had been stolen from.

"Is this," Rin began, "All true? Every word of it?" Her voice shook as she spoke. Miku nodded with a blank look on her face. Rin and Len exchanged another glance. They were almost frightened.

"Who could have kidnapped us though? I don't remember being kidnapped, or being hurt in anyway." Len's calm cool voice could finally be heard; he had been silent the entire time. He gazed down at the table, and it was clear he was pondering this newfound knowledge deep within the depths of his mind.

"This may not be right," Miku began, "And you may hate me for saying this, but, I believe it may have been the ringleader, Gakupo, who stole you away from your parents." She held her breath, awaiting the twins to object her idea. Surprisingly, no objection came. Instead, they just sat there.

It was only until the waitress came back with Miku's tea before the conversation started up again.

"It's possible," Len said, "But why would he have the need to kidnap us?"

"Because, he needed performers for his circus. It's just a theory, but I believe he may have kidnapped you solely for the reason of acquiring new performers." Miku replied. Although she acted younger than her actual age, she was a very intelligent young girl. Len put his index finger and thumb to his chin, as if he was thinking about the possibility.

"What will you two do now knowing that the ringleader may have kidnapped you?" Miku asked. She suddenly felt odd asking the question, and she told herself that they probably wouldn't answer this question.

"We should leave," Rin piped up, "After all, all Gakupo does is make us work. Sure it's dancing and performing tricks, but he took us away from a life we could've had!"

"We shouldn't," Len contradicted his twin sister, "He provides us with shelter and food. Do you really want to run away from our only home we've ever known?" Rin scowled at him darkly. All Len did was look down at his lap.

"Well, my mother told me that your mother is still alive and that she lives in the town of Saggezza. If we managed to find her, would you live with her?" Miku suggested.

"Of course!" Rin exclaimed. Len mumbled something in response.

"It's a little crazy of course," Miku sighed. "How are you even going to get there?"

Len replied with the fact that Saggezza was not too far away from their circus' stops, specifically the town of Arpeggio, which was the stop after the next stop. Since Miku knew they possibly had to travel quite a ways, she offered to get them some supplies for the journey. First however, the twins had to go back to the boat and store the article and photos in their cabin. Miku felt the need to tag along, just so she could see if the twins had anything they could possibly use on their long journey home.

As the three arrived at the boat, Miku was amazed at the work being conducted by the crew of the Circus on the Water. She was the tent was neatly folded up and being stored in the lower levels of the boat while the boat itself was being cleaned for it's next long voyage.

"Here, follow us!" Rin said, gesturing for Miku to follow the twins into a small opening on the side of the boat. She figured it was usually where the cargo was stored and as she walked into the vast metal room, she noticed she was right. There were colourful circus props and costumes stored within the vast room. However, hidden behind a colourful dress, coated with sapphire coloured feathers, was a metal door that led to a hallway. Len opened up the door, and looked at one end of the hallway and then at the other end. He turned to Miku and mouthed that coast was clear. The three then walked through the hallway to Rin and Len's room as quietly as they possibly could.

Rin shut the door behind them and locked it, while Len stored the article and photos under his mattress. Although Miku had seen this room before, she had only seen now how nice and welcoming Rin and Len's room was. It also perfectly suited them. The walls and ceiling were made out of hard wood, while the floor was covered by a deep red carpet with a golden lace around the edges. On the right side of the room Rin's bed, or what Miku assumed to be Rin's bed. Her bedding was a soft yellow and she had multiple pillows as well as a stuffed bear with a pink bow tied around one of it's soft, brown ears. On the left was Len's bed. His bed was dark red colour, and his bed had fewer pillows than Rin's bed. On the wall adjacent from the door was a set of drawers, with a large mirror attached. Around the mirror was a line of lights. When they were turned on they seemed to give off so much heat, that it would make the tenants within the room sweat.

Suddenly, there was loud knocking on the door. Miku nearly jumped out of her shoes. She suddenly felt Rin's delicate, thin hands at her back. However, instead of feeling thin and delicate, they were forceful. She whispered something that sounded like "Get down!" before pushing Miku to the ground, and pulling the bedding on her bed over her body. Miku suddenly felt some lumps hit her back, and she eventually concluded that they were the pillows from Rin's bed.

"Rin? Len, are you in here?" an unknown voice called out from behind the door. Miku heard one of the twins walk over to the door and open it.

"Yes, we're here," Len answered. He was the one who opened the door, "What is it?"

"We're about to embark," the voice said, "Gakupo just wanted to make sure that all of his performers were ready in their rooms."

"Alright," Rin said, he voice was as bouncy as ever, "Well, tell him we're ready!"

Miku then heard the voice and Len saying something that went along the lines of a good-bye and a thank-you. She then pulled off the covers and pillows and got up while she used her free hands to brush off the dust that clung to her dress.

"I guess I should go, since you're going to embark soon and all" Miku sighed, although she had only known the twins for barely even a day, she saw them as her friends.

"It was nice meeting you Miku," Rin smiled at her, "Thanks for telling us about our past."

"Thank you, Miku," Len said; he gave a warm smile as well. Just when Miku was about to walk out the door and head back home to her family and her normal life, she felt a sudden heavy movement under her feet. Her eyes widened and she looked down at the carpet below her.

She made her way outside of the twins' room and down the hallway. Then end of it reached the lower levels of the deck. She opened to door that lead outside and grabbed her tiny dress and pulled it down as the strong gust blew her hair and tiny dress all over. She saw the dock getting farther and farther away. Miku cried out for the crew to stop the boat, but the deafening wind engulfed her voice. The boat kept on going and going and the docks kept on getting further and further away until they merely became a tiny speck that lay upon the surface of the water.

Walking back to Rin and Len's room in defeat and worry, Miku sighed. She was breathing rapidly and her exhales were shaky. She was close to tears as she opened the door. Rin saw what kind of shape she was in and a concerned look fell on her face. Len merely frowned.

"What am I going to do?" Miku choked, "I'm going to be so far away from home, and my parents are probably going to be worried sick about me!"

"We should tell Gakupo about this," Len suggested, "After all, we aren't too faraway from Aurore, but of course, considering the situation we're in" Len seemed to trail off.

"It's okay, Miku!" Rin said, trying to comfort Miku. "We'll just stop at the next town and you can make your way home!"

"Rin, do realize that the next stop is in a completely different country? Even if we did stop it would take way too long to get her home,"

"You're not helping, Len" Rin gazed darkly at her twin brother. "I suppose you can come along with us. You should probably come with us to find our mother! After all, didn't your family know ours?" Rin said, emphasizing the word "ours".

"She could probably take me back home!" Miku exclaimed, feeling relief wash over her worry filled frame. "But what am I going to do in the meantime? I can't let Gakupo or any other performers or crewmembers see me."

"You'll just stay in here then!" Rin said,

"What about things like food?"

"We'll sneak it in here!" Rin grinned brightly.

Miku sighed, "Is sneaking around one of your hobbies or something?"

"Pretty much," Len said calmly, "After all, we only really work, so whenever we get free time we ending up doing things we shouldn't do. Anyway, since we were speaking about food earlier, we should get lunch or something. Miku do you want us to bring anything for you?"

"I'm fine," Miku replied. With that, Rin and Len both walked out to get their noonday meal provided by the kitchen that was inside the boat. It was now silent in the room. Almost silent actually; Miku could hear the muffled sounds of the waves crashing against the hull of the boat. Occasionally she could also hear the obnoxious calls of the gulls, flying overhead. The wind was probably aiding their flight, and yet hindering at the same time.

Miku made her way to Rin's bed, which was still a mess from the dilemma of one of the crewman suddenly knocking the door an delivering the message that would eventually lead to Miku's life turning upside down. She laid her tired frame on the mattress, and wondered what her mother must be thinking. She was probably worried sick about Miku, and running around the house rounding up the servants for a search party, or something of the like.

She found her arms wrapped around Rin's stuffed bear. Although she was not in the best of situations, she felt comfortable. She felt the bear's soft fur brush lightly against her forearms, and the constant gentle rocking of the boat was making her sleepy, as if she was a young child being rocked to sleep in her mother's arms. All Miku wanted to do was rest now, even though it was only midday. She had been told to sleep on her problems if they were troubling her to the point of worry, because the next day she would be able to tackle those problems with a fresh and powerful mind.

Before Miku fell asleep, she gazed at the corner of the article about the twins that was peeking out from underneath Len's mattress. Her eyes fell shut and she was then whisked away into the peacefulness of dreams.


	5. Living Quarters

"Miku?" a voice called out from darkness. Miku merely moaned and rolled over. She felt something warm near her head.

"Miku? Are you awake?" the same voice called out again. This time Miku knew it was a feminine voice. It was a voice she had heard before.

"I had the oddest dream," Miku mumbled, her mouth was dry, "A boat had taken me away from home, mother."

"Mother?" the voice said with confusion. It was Rin's voice. Miku felt her eyelids open up wide with embarrassment. She got up and felt the blood rush to her face. Her sapphire eyes were locked with Rin's eyes.

"So sorry, Rin!" Miku said, her voice trembling, "I guess I was still asleep when I said that."

"It's alright," Rin replied, "I'm surprised you actually fell asleep so quickly, we were you really that exhausted?"

"Probably just all of the stress made me tired," Miku responded quietly, "After all, I know my parents are going to be stressing out over the fact that I haven't returned home yet. I know there's eventually going to be some paper that will state that I'm missing too, and some search party will be conducted, and –"

"Don't worry about it so much!" Rin said, trying to calm Miku down, "You'll be fine and everything will turn out fine as well." Miku admired this girl's optimism. Although Miku did have optimism as well, it would falter in a situation like this. Rin's optimism however, seemed to stay strong. Rin was a very charismatic, strong girl. This made her stand apart from her twin brother, Len, who seemed to be blunt and cynical at times. However, it was clear he was the more mature one of the two.

"All you'll need to worry about is whether you'll get seasick or not," Len said almost playfully. Rin called out his name in a half-angrily, half-playful way, then preceded him to smack him over the head with her pillows. Miku giggled at the twin's fighting with each other.

For the rest of that day, Miku was cooped up in Rin and Len's room. Since today, as well as the next two days were days at sea, she was confined in their room for the next little while. She watched the twins practice their act right in front of her, as well as dived underneath Rin's bed when the three heard someone knock on the door of their cabin.

Miku knew that the next few days were going to be a little hectic, but she knew she would just have to pull through them, and wait them out until the three got to the stop of Arpeggio. Miku knew that they'd probably make it there within the next week or so.

It was now nighttime, as Len had reported as he walked back from the lower levels of the deck and back into hit room, where Miku and Rin were both sitting on the floor, telling each other scary stories. They were already dressed in their nightgowns. Miku's nightgown, however, wasn't technically hers. In fact, it was Rin's, and anyone could tell it was too. It was one too many sizes too small for her; instead of the bottom part reaching down to her knee, the thin, peach-coloured nightgown reach midway down her thigh. It was also too tight around her body, especially around her chest.

"Couldn't you at least get something that would fit her?" Len asked Rin, seeming almost unfazed by Miku's nearly naked body sitting in front of him. "You know she's a little bit bigger than you are. After all, you're only fourteen and she's –"

"Twenty-one" Miku finished his sentence.

"Well, it's all I had Len!" Rin scowled. Len shrugged, and began to prepare for bed.

"Anyway, they're probably going to turn out all the lights," Len murmured, "It's best that we get to bed soon," Rin and Miku nodded their head in response, but they continued to tell each other scary stories.

"- And then the man in the window was really inside the house, since the window was actually a mirror!" Rin brought up her arms in what she thought was a menacing way. She screamed, and so did Miku. Annoyed, Len wrapped a pillow around his ears. Miku could tell that Rin really liked having her around, since it was most likely that he only company she ever had was Len.

That night, Miku went to bed in Rin's bed, but since she had a nap earlier that day, she couldn't fall asleep as quickly as Rin and Len had. She lay awake, staring at the ceiling of the room. The waters were quieter at this time, and there were no more gulls flying around and calling each other. However, Miku heard muffled sounds of what seemed to be arguing.

She shook Rin awake and quietly whispered, "Rin, did you hear that?" Rin moaned as a worried Miku awoke her. She grumbled something that sounded like a "No".

"Wait, just listen really hard for a moment!"

The two were silent for a moment. As she listened, Miku turned her head in multiple directions to find the source of the noise. There was more muffled yelling, and some bang that sounded like the breaking of glass. Miku looked up, and determined that it was coming from a floor above her. It also sounded like there were two people arguing. One voice was clearly male, while the other one wasn't as easy to determine. The argument also seemed to be really heated, as both voices were loud filled with force.

"Everyone should be asleep by now," Rin mumbled,

"You should two should be sleeping as well," Len said tiredly as he rolled onto his side in order to see an equally as groggy Rin and a paranoid Miku.

"Just relax, Miku" Rin said, placing one of her hands on Miku's shoulder in a comforting way. "Try and get some rest, will you?"

"It's probably nothing anyway," Len added.

Ignoring Rin and Len's suggestions, Miku got up and out of bed. She walked towards the door and opened up as quietly as possible while looking at both sides of the hallway to make sure nobody was walking up and down the halls.

Miku felt Rin's arms wrap around her own. "Are you crazy?" Rin said half-whispering, half-yelling as she pulled Miku back into the cabin. "You could get caught, and you and I both know what would happen."

"I don't care! I need to find out what's going on." Miku protested, "How do you know if it's something not serious? What if they figured out that I was on the boat? After all, they could have seen me sneak into the boat with you two."

Rin groaned, "Fine, but I'm going to go with you" She looked back at Len, "Are you going to come too?"

Len groaned and got up and out of his bed, "Fine,"


	6. The Newest Performer

The three then ventured out of the cabin and into the hallway, where they tried to walk around as quietly as possible. Both Rin and Len knew that one of the crewmembers would always walk through the halls to keep watch for any performers that would sneak out of bed and walk around the hallways; similar to what Rin, Len and Miku were doing now.

"There, take those stairs there," Len pointed out the stairs that lead to the other levels that were blanketed by the darkness. The three then proceeded to walk up them carefully, trying to feel every step with their feet so they wouldn't come tumbling down the stairs and cause a horrible ruckus.

They were nearly to the next floor when they saw a light peek through the top of the stairwell. The three got down as fast at they could, waiting for the light to pass by. The three were so silent; Miku could not only hear her own breath, but the twins' as well. Eventually the light passed by and they continued climbing up the stairs in their cautious fashion.

The arguing that Miku had heard earlier was now much clearer. She could also make out what some of what they were saying, however, it sill was unintelligible.

"Is that Gakupo?" Rin whispered. The voice that Miku couldn't determine could now be. Indeed, it was Gakupo, which made her think that argument was now of even more importance. She listened to the source of the voices, which she determined were coming from just down the hall.

"If it's Gakupo, then it's most likely in his office, which is fifth door down," Len stated, "His office has two big doors, so it's not too hard to miss."

The three walked down the hall as quietly as they could. They eventually made it towards the door, where the arguing was so clear; it was as if they were inside the room, acting as spectators to the furious battle.

" – But sir, how could have someone got in? We were all around the entrances. We didn't see anyone get it!" the male voice pleaded.

" There are exactly fifty plates of food at dinnertime for the fifty performers we have. One of the lion tamers complained that they didn't get any food. Where did that plate go?" Gakupo said. His fury coursed through his words.

" I don't know, sir," the other voice stammered.

"Of course you don't know! You're just a little lazy man, only working this job for the pay,"

There was a moment of silence,

"Now, if you want to keep your job, you will find to whom that plate went to. Is that clear?"

"But, how are we going to find someone if we don't even know what they look like?' The other voice mumbled.

"Isn't that easy? You just have to look for anyone who is out of place; anyone who you have never seen before. My goodness, you are not very bright are you?" Gakupo said, almost laughing.

Miku's first impression of the ringleader, Gakupo was now shattered. He had merely put up a front to seem like he was the owner of the circus that brought the imagination into a living form and that floated across the seven seas. Now, he was merely some wretched man, who kidnapped his performers in order to become rich and successful. She was disgusted by his actions.

"Go and look through every room and round up anyone that can help you," Gakupo ordered, "You are now excused."

"Sir," the voice said in response.

"Run!" Rin seemed to cry out, even though she wall only whispering. The three then made their way down the hall as fast as they could.

"You there!" The man walked out of Gakupo's office and followed Miku, Rin and Len down the hall. Shocked by the man's quick capture of the stowaway, Gakupo sprinted out of his office, and watched as the man he had just sent on his way running down the hall in hot pursuit.

Miku, Rin and Len ran down the stairs as fast as they could, unfortunately in the mass of fear, surprise and confusion, Miku tripped and tumbled down the stairs. She could barely make out Rin and Len screaming out her name as her body banged against the multiple steps. Finally she came to a stop at the floor where Rin and Len's cabin was. Her head was spinning, and her vision was blurred. She looked at the stairs, where she could barely make out a frightened Rin and Len, as well as the man who had been following her earlier make his swift descent down the stairs.

Miku felt the man grab her shoulders tightly, and with aggression. She also heard the pleading cries of the twins telling the man to stop. Although she could barely make any sense of the situation, she knew she had been caught. She couldn't react though, since she felt the entire world was spinning around her, and the pounding in her head made it hard to think.

She felt her body being carried upstairs, and she heard the orders being bellowed to the twins. They were told to return to their room immediately and that in the morning they would face the consequences for bringing "an outsider" onto the boat.

Miku was taken into the ringleader's office, and she felt her tired, beaten frame being placed onto a soft chair. By now she could make a little sense of what was going on. She felt the cold stare of Gakupo's eyes as she look up at his looming figure. There was an overwhelming feeling of doom growing in the pit of Miku's stomach.

"Ah, have I not seen you before, darling?" Gakupo said.

Miku felt her lips murmur something incoherent in response. She figured it might have been something like a "What?"

"You were dressed in something more exquisite, and you came to see my show in Aurore." The ringleader stated, "You also asked to see the Kagamine twins, do you not remember, dear?"

"Yes" Miku answered. "I remember, I think."

"I heard you take a nasty fall down the stairs," Gakupo said softly, "All you all right, darling?"

Miku now make sense of what she was going on, but she still felt the pounding in her head.

"Fit as a fiddle," Miku said with a laugh, "I suppose at the next stop you're going to kick me out. Or are you going throw me off the ship right here and now?"

"No, dear" Gakupo said, his lips curving into a mischievous grin, "I have a better use for you, that is if I can use you,"

"What?"

"Darling, can you sing?" Gakupo asked, pressing one of his fingers to his chin in an almost thoughtful way.

"My mother would sometimes play the piano and I'd sing along to the melody. But that was a long time ago, so no I don't think I can sing that well."

"Try, dear"

Although Miku was confused as to what Gakupo's motif was for making Miku sing, (she was still a little bit out of it) she sang anyway. She sang some of the songs her mother would play for her. With that, she suddenly felt the hopeless feeling of homesickness. Although she was twenty-one and she had been away from her family a considerable number of times, she always knew she would be able to return home. However this time, there was a chance she would never return home.

"Something wrong?" Gakupo asked.

Miku hadn't noticed it, but apparently she was already crying. She wiped her face and smiled.

"I'm fine"

"You have a beautiful voice, dear" Gakupo stated, "Sing in my circus,"

"Oh, no I can't," Miku began, but then was interrupted by Gakupo.

"That wasn't a request darling, that was a command."

Miku suddenly felt cold as her eyes widened, "Excuse me?" she asked.

"You're going to be my newest performer in my circus, or do you want to get arrested for attempted assault against the Kagamine twins?"

"Assault?" Miku asked with clear ferocity in her voice, "I didn't do a thing to them! And even if your did charge me with assault, how are they going to believe you?"

"I should be the one asking you that question, dear." Gakupo grinned, "You're just some girl whom nobody knows. Are they really going to believe you over an owner of a circus who merely wants to protect his performers?"

Miku was defeated. She had no retort.

"Ah, so you agree with me darling," Gakupo laughed, "I supposed you'll now join me in my circus, no?"

"Fine," Miku growled.

"Now that we have that in order, it's best that you go and get some rest," Gakupo said coolly, "Since you like the Kagamine twins so much, I'll let you stay with them for the night"

Miku said nothing.

"May I escort you to your room, darling?"

Miku nodded, just to not cause any more trouble. Although it was clear her face had hardened into a dark scowl. She felt Gakupo's cold hand against her almost bare back. He was guiding her out of the chair and out of the room. This made her even more furious. She wasn't a child, and she didn't need to be guided back to her room like one.

"Don't worry, darling. You will like it here!" Gakupo grinned. Miku gave a fake smile.

Eventually they made their way down the stairs and back to the floor where Rin and Len's cabin was. She was guided down that hall and Gakupo had then opened the door to Rin and Len's cabin when they had reached it.

"Good night," Gakupo said.

"You too," Miku mumbled. With that Gakupo closed the door.

Miku looked down at the twins, who had been clearly pretending to sleep, as they had now just jumped out of bed when Miku returned.

"Miku!" Rin exclaimed, "What happened?"

"Guess what, I'm performing in the circus as well, so I guess not only am I going to go with you see your mother, I'm officially running away with you as well." Miku stated.

"What?" Len said, cocking an eyebrow.

"Gakupo has made me a performer in his circus. I'm a singer now," Miku said in defeat. The twins exchanged glances.

"It alright, I suppose," Len said, "After all, you'd only perform for day or two depending on whether we leave before the performance after the next one. Miku sighed in response.

"Let's get some rest," Rin whispered softly, "It's been a rough night,"

Miku agreed, and the crawled into bed with Rin. She was tired, and wanted nothing more than to escape into the world of her dreams where she wasn't forced to be a singer. Today was a definitely not a good day for her, as her life was completely flipped upside down. When she got up in the morning, she was merely a daughter of a rich family, but when she went to bed, she was a singer for the Circus on the Water.

She had eventually fallen asleep and slipped into the land of her dreams. It seemed to be the only place at the moment where she was completely happy and at peace.


	7. The Pink Haired Magician

Eventually the morning came, and Miku had woken up a little bit groggy and tired when she realized how early it was. Rin had then explained as to why; they have to wake up early so they could eat breakfast, and then have most of the morning for practice. Although, the Kagamine twins didn't practice as much as the other performers, since they determined that their act required less skill.

"Is the girl from last night in here?" Rin, Len and Miku heard Gakupo knocking on their cabin door. Rin opened up the door.

"Her name is Miku," Rin said. Her voice was like ice.

"I'm here," Miku said in a softer tone, although she was still furious with the ringleader. She really did not want to be forced to perform. All she wanted to do was go home to her family.

"Come, you're going to help me pick out a costume design for yourself." Gakupo said as Miku walked to his side.

"Why can't you just choose one?" Miku said, "I'll be fine with anything you give me."

"Ah, but don't you want your look to be your own?"

"I could care less," Miku shrugged.

Both the ringleader and Miku made their way to the upper levels of ship, where a lounge-like room was. There on one of the tables were some paintings of elaborate and colourful costumes that Miku would potentially wear for her act.

"I had an artist paint these early in the morning," Gakupo stated, "Which one do you like the best?"

Miku scanned at all the little paintings with her sapphire eyes. They were all so pretty and intricate. All of them seemed to show off Miku's long legs and they all seemed to look as if they were made to sit tightly around her slender frame. Although Miku knew she didn't want to stay in the Circus on the Water, she knew she liked the costumes, so she picked out one random one. Gakupo grabbed the one she picked, folded it up, and tucked it into one of his pockets.

"Did you have breakfast yet, dear?" Gakupo asked.

"No not yet," Miku stated, "I was going to go with Rin and Len before you took me here to look at costumed. Speaking of which, may I be excused so I can go with them?"

Gakupo nodded, so Miku hurried back down to the lower levels and into Rin and Len's cabin.

"So what kind of costume did you pick out?" Rin asked.

"I don't know. I just picked out one random one. They all seemed to look alike, anyway." Miku sighed, "Shall we go and get breakfast now?"

"We can't, we're supposed to wait for someone to come and punish us," Len stated.

"Wait?" Miku was bewildered, "Can't you just sneak away like you always do?"

Len shook his head, "If they can't find us, then we'll be in even more trouble. We'll get in trouble for sneaking around with you last night, and then we'd get in trouble for evading punishment if we did that now."

Rin frowned, "You can go get breakfast Miku, we'll wait here."

Although Miku was almost unconscious when the twins had gotten in trouble last night, she still felt it was her fault for getting them in trouble. It was her idea to go upstairs and find out what all of that yelling was about. It was her curiosity that had gotten them in trouble.

"I'll wait for you two," Miku stated, "It's not really fair that you two are the only ones who get punished."

"You'd really do that?" Rin asked

"All of this was really my fault anyway," Miku sighed, "You shouldn't take the blow for my sake. I'll stay here and wait with you two."

So Miku stayed with the Kagamine twins. They sat and waited in the cabin, only occasionally striking up a conversation, however the feeling of impending doom seemed to lessen as the minutes went by. Eventually, it was replaced with confusion and surprise. The three exchanged glances and shrugged their shoulders as they wondered when some crewmember or Gakupo himself came to deal punishment.

"Shouldn't someone have come by now?" Rin asked. Len had merely shrugged in response.

"Maybe whoever was supposed to come didn't remember? Or maybe Gakupo ha changed his mind," Miku suggested. It was odd nobody had shown up.

After a couple of minutes of extra waiting, in order to make sure that nobody was coming after all, the three headed to the kitchen to get their breakfast. As they walked down the hallways, Miku wondered if the other performers would see here as an outsider, since she had only become a performer last night.

"They'll give you cold stares" Len murmured, "It's inevitable,"

Miku frowned, he was right. It was indeed inevitable.

The three walked into the large cafeteria on the ship. However, unlike normal cafeterias, this one was much nicer. It almost looked like a lounge or restaurant. Miku could hear the performers chit-chatting about random things as they ate their food. It was warm in this room, and there was a faint, delicious scent of what was being cooked floating throughout the room.

As Len had predicted, everyone gave Miku stares that could even make the toughest and coldest of people break down and cry. She was an outsider, and it was going to take a very long time before she was accepted into this new world she had stumbled into.

"I'll find somewhere to sit" Miku offered, hiding the fact that she didn't want to see anyone else that would give her a cold stare. Len shrugged, and offered to get the food, while Rin decided she would sit with Miku to keep her company. The two found a table and sat down. Rin looked around and brought her legs onto the chair next to her in order to save a seat for Len.

"You seemed worried," Rin asked, "I guess it's all the people staring at you" She laughed a little bit and looked around as she saw the other performers piercing eyes.

"Was it like this when you first came here?" Miku asked

"I don't remember, but I'm pretty sure we got nearly the same treatment as you." Rin said, folding her hands and putting them underneath her chin. She was also slouching and looked as if she was deep in thought. Miku leaned back and sighed. She was trying to avoid any eye contact with the other performers.

"You see that girl over there?" Rin began, pointing to a pink haired girl who just walked into the cafeteria, "She had come here around a year and a half ago, and she was treated nearly the same way as you. She's still sort of treated that way now. It doesn't help that's she's a quiet girl with a small circle of friends either"

Miku watched as the tall, awkward pink-haired girl weaved her way through the masses of performers to the kitchen to pick up her breakfast. She had picked up a glass of water on her way, but accidentally bumped into Len, splashing the water allover her light bluish-white dress. Len turned around and said something, which Miku believed to be a sorry. The girl was extremely embarrassed as she saw the water had spilled nearly everywhere. Len took a paper towel and offered to clean it up for her. The girl shook her head at first, but then she nodded and smiled. Her cheeks were splashed with a deep red.

"That must be pretty embarrassing," Rin stated. Miku nodded in agreement. The two watched as Len cleaned up the mess. He seemed to glance back at the girl, since she suddenly struck up a conversation with the boy. He then pointed to Miku and Rin, to which they both wondered why he did such a thing. Once he was done, he grabbed the trays of food he had gathered earlier and walked towards the table. The pink haired girl followed to Rin and Miku's surprise. The two sat down in front of Rin and Miku.

"I'm Luka," the girl said in her mellow and hollow voice, "I know you're Rin, and your brother here is Len, but may I ask who this girl may be?"

"I'm Miku," Miku replied, "Miku Hatsune."

"When did you come here? I've never seen you around here before"

"Just yesterday," Miku replied, "By accident, really."

"Accident?"

Before Miku decided to continue on with the story, she consulted her judgment, and wondered if she should tell this Luka girl. She didn't see any harm in telling this to her, so she told the story of how she got to the boat. It was a long tale, but she managed to shorten it enough so that no important events were missed and all of the unimportant details were left out.

"Kidnapping?" Luka asked, "You suspect he kidnapped you two?" Oddly enough, this seemed to be the most intriguing thing for Luka, possibly because her past may have related to Rin and Len's.

"We don't suspect," Rin stated, "We know thanks to some photos and a newspaper article Miku had found,"

"That's odd, when Gakupo had found me, I was working at a various places, at least whenever they hired me, that is"

"What did you do?" Rin asked,

"I was a magician" Luka begin, "Not a very good one though. It was only until Gakupo had found me and took me in that he taught me how to become better." She smiled a little bit at the fact, while Miku gave her a confused look.

Miku wondered why this Luka girl wasn't taken against he will like she was. Maybe he favourited her, or maybe it was her age and situation. After all, she looked as if she was in her mid-twenties. If Gakupo were to supposedly kidnap her, she would have some power to fight back. However, deeming by her expression, she didn't seem the least bit upset as she told her story.

"So, as you told me before," Luka said, "You plan to escape?" Miku and Rin nodded swiftly.

"Can you help us escape?" Len blurted out, "Or at least become our ally if anyone asks any questions?"


	8. Idle

AN: Oh my, first AN of the story, and in such a random spot too! I really don't like this chapter, it just seems to serve as a bridge between the next important part in the story. So yeah, sorry if nothing interesting happens here.

-------------------

"Len!" Rin turned her head sharply towards him, "It's hard enough sneaking around three people; do you honestly think we need a fourth person? I say we're fine on our ow-"

"No, it's possible we could have use for her," Miku interrupted, "You said you were a magician right?"

Luka nodded, " Yes, but how can that help you?"

"I've seen your act before," Miku stated, "Although I didn't know it was you at the time, you performed a disappearing act, as well as some other tricks that hid yourself from the audience."

"Ah, I see what you're getting at" Luka smiled, "I've never tried it on four people though, so I might need to practice"

"Will you be able to perfect it by the performance at Arpeggio?" Len asked. Luka nodded and said, "Well I'll try," and with that the plan was set. However, Miku worried about having a fourth person in on the plan. What if she wasn't able to keep this plan a secret from the other performers?

Breakfast soon ended, and Luka separated from the group in order to practice for her upcoming act, as well as the plan. As Miku, Rin and Len walked back to their room, Miku still couldn't help but feel worried about Luka, and what threat she may have on their safety, as well as her own.

"Something wrong, Miku?" Rin asked,

"Of course nothing is wrong, all she did was get pulled out of her normal life is all, " Len said laughing. Like always, Rin glared at him darkly, and the conversation was over.

The three soon arrived at the room, opened up the hardwood door and made their way inside. It was then that Miku noticed that her costume was laid across the dresser. It was extremely elaborate. She walked towards the dresser and let her fingers glide across the silky white fabric. It was a very long, exquisite looking dress with dark blue vine-like patterns crawling all over it. There were also some long, light blue sashes; one was to be tied around her neck, while the other was tied around the waist of the dress.

"It's amazing," Miku gasped, she couldn't believe how fast it had taken to make it. Just this morning the design was but painting on a small piece of paper. Now she could feel and see costume right before her own eyes.

"I think it'll look cute on you!" Rin said in her bubbly voice. Len merely plopped down on his bed and stared at the chestnut-brown ceiling.

"You should try it on to see if it fits, of course,"

"Ah, right,"

Miku quickly slipped it on, and gazed at herself in mirror. The dress was snug around her body and she had to admit that Rin was right about the dress; it was cute. However, she did remember the fact that she wouldn't be wearing this dress for too long. There was still the need to escape in the back of her mind.

Miku spun her body around and soon felt something small and paper-like slip out of the folds of the dress and onto the floor. Rin picked it up and read it out loud before Miku even had the chance to bend over.

"Do you like the dress? I tried to get the seamstresses to make it as fast as they could for you, signed Gakupo"

"He must be favouriting me," Miku sighed,

"No, he's like that with everyone," Len piped up, "It's just how he is,"

Miku knew it was probably just an act, since she clearly remembered how he acted in front of that crewmember that had caught her not too long ago.

"Hello?" Someone knocked on the door of the room, "Is Ms. Hatsune here?"

"I'm here," Miku said, opening the door. She saw a woman at the door, with a handful of papers in her hand. She seemed to be very stiff looking, as if she was a manager that never got any time off from her job.

"Gakupo requested me to give you this sheet music," The lady said, handing the papers to Miku in a rough fashion, "He stated you are to attend band recital later today so you can be able to perform by our next stop, understood?"

"Of course," Miku stammered, startled by how rigid this lady was. The lady bowed and said "Good day," as Miku shut the door. She turned back to the twins.

"That's Miriam," Rin said, "She's always like that"

"Well she has to be," Len began, "She's like the vice-manager of the circus. I don't think you could be pretty flexible if your were a manager,"

"That wouldn't explain Gakupo, then" Miku said with a little grin.

"Ha, you're right," Len shrugged.

"So, recital? Where might that be," Miku said trailing off.

"It's in the Recital Hall," Rin stated, "The Recital Hall is on the main floor, since the main floor is the biggest out of the entire boat. It'll be easy to find so don't worry too much."

For the rest of the day until the recital, the three idly chattered on about nothing important in particular. However, as soon as they got on the topic of seeing their mother, the conversation became bubbly and exciting, mainly because it was Rin providing the input into the conversation.

Rin had taken the picture out from underneath the bed, and stared at her mother. She was like a young child opening up the first present on Christmas day, while Len was watching as if he was the older sibling. Miku couldn't help but feel happy. Although she knew this journey home was going to be a long one, she couldn't even imagine the amount of joy the twins would experience when they arrived home to the mother.

Would the run up to her and cuddle in her arms. Would they cry? It was all up to the imagination. She hoped that she would be welcomed as well.

"Rin, Len?" Miku asked, "You don't mind if I explore the ship for a little bit right?"

"Go ahead," the twins both said. Miku nodded and made her way out of warm room and into the hallway.

Miku walked down the familiar hallway and felt the soft, red carpet below her feet. It was a beautiful indeed, and it gave a feeling of comfort and warmth, even though that was completely contrary to the secrets the boat held deep within.

She eventually made her way to the main level of the boat. Instead of having hardwood and being tight, this place was wide open, and had marble and glass. It seemed almost as though Miku was in a magical palace. She looked up at the ceiling and saw a huge chandelier staring back down at her, illuminating this wonderful place. Surprisingly, there seemed to be no one here. Were they all busy practicing?

"Oh, I'm surprised to see you here!"

Miku turned around to see Luka standing not too far away from her

"So what are you up to?" Luka asked,

"Just exploring the ship," Miku said, "How is the trick going?"

"Well of course, I'm still practicing," Luka said, "But I'm managing," she smiled.

"Say, I have a question to ask you," Miku began, "When Gakupo took you onto his ship, did he do it forcefully?"

"Not entirely," Luka stated, "He just told me that he would take me in as a performer. He wanted to take care of me, I suppose. After all, I was next to being homeless and on the street."

"I see," Miku mumbled, "It's odd how he can help someone, but then take someone away from their true lives," The ringleader's behavior confused Miku. Was he really all that bad? Were the Kagamines the only ones he kidnapped? No, Miku knew herself that she had been kidnapped.

Miku sighed, "Well, thanks for letting me know. I should get going since I have to go to recital soon, I'll talk to you later,"

"You too," Luka said, and left to be on her way.

Miku made her way to a pair of crimson doors, labeled "Recital Hall," and walked inside, waiting for the new but temporary life as a circus performer.


End file.
